Distorted Wings
by WaffleGoddess
Summary: AUCan one change history? Or does history change them? In a dying land decimated by a god, one will need to delve into the past and discover the true villain behind this...
1. Chapter 1

1Distorted Wings

Welcome, readers. . I'm very pleased you decided to read the story that I've been slaving on for...er, a long time now. xx;; Timeless Nightmares is probably going to be on hiatus, but not a permanent hiatus. I enjoy writing it, but I just need a break from it.

I put a lot of effort into this, so even the smallest review will make me tremendously pleased. Don't be scared, folks...I don't bite. Well, only my siblings, but ANY-way...

This story's plot isn't very conventional by most standards here. Still, I hope people shall enjoy what it has to offer. It's an alternate universe fic, and **there will be spoilers for Baten Kaitos. **Now don't flame me.

Now, allow me to round this stupid ramble up with a couple more things. Yay.

Firstly, I don't own Baten Kaitos. Namco/Nintendo does, depending on which game you're talking about. Blah, blah, blah, you know the laws.

Secondly, this fanfic is by DeathReaper, aka the one who's writing this. If you use/steal it without my permission...I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN. YOU CAN'T HIDE!

Finally, that speech is over with. Thank god. Now, if you went through all that, your special reward is the prologue. Whee.

_In the eternal instant before the Beginning, before Chronos itself was pronounced in a mighty explosion, long before the tiny ash of history came to settle from the flames, something whose actions no verb can truly describe seemed to enfold possibility, to surround in it the manner of an idea, and fashioned out of the flames two creatures._

_Two Gods._

_Two rulers._

_Darkness and Light._

_Aeitanu...and Dantanu._

_Aeitanu came to be known in legends as a Phoenix, a legacy of fury, resurrection and Destruction. The legendary being of the shrieking, hellish flames and passionate fury of mighty stars, she was full of wrath, showing no mercy. One gentle flap of one of her eight wings could blow a house off its foundations, stir a tranquil spark into howling, snarling, crackling frenzy and create a howling firestorm that the likes of Man had never seen. She was of fire and heat, the roaring, merciless flames of cores of the Sun. She was the Void._

_Dantanu came to be known as the Whale, a legend of glory, life and Creation. The whale swam gloriously through beautifully-made depths of the ocean, leapt through the clear blue skies, and sang wondrous, peaceful songs. He could bring down raging storms and hurricanes and leave behind a blasted, dead and withered land… but he could also create life anew, in the neverending dreams of death and rebirth. He was of light and water, the subtle lights seen within thunderstorms and the currents of the waters. He was the Heaven._

_Darkness and Light. _

_Aeitanu and Dantanu...the ultimate balance of the universe, maintaining the opposing forces of order and chaos. Destruction and Creation. Dantanu created the stars that burned brightly in the dark void of destruction created by Aeitanu. _

_Together they created a world, and stirred life into it…and were witness to the follies of Man…_

Prologue: Ballad of an Earth Child****

The city had become a cauldron of fire.

The streets were crazily jammed with large, bulky metal vehicles, all of them silent and hollow. Their owners were dead or had fled, and thick smoke rolled down the crammed streets, creating a sooty haze that choked the air. Broken glass glittered on the ground, blazing crimson as they reflected the flames. Slabs of torn highway were wedged into the burning streets like broken stepping-stones.

The broken buildings rested in a deep stillness, fire lapping their mangled metal and girders. Black smoke slinked away from the horrendous land. An ancient bell, torn from its perch, swung gently in the wind, its hollow ringing looming over the dead city like the trumpet at judgment day.

The sky was a fury of red and orange, rippling and twisting flames, howling as they hungrily devoured the air, casting a demonic, sinister orange glow upon the ruined skeletons of skyscrapers and the blasted frames of cars. The charred corpses of humans sat slumped inside the machines, blackened bones jutting through grey, flaky ashes that had once been flesh.

In the rubble-strewn streets, a lone figure moved among the smoke and the burning wreckage.

He had a defined pace, walking crisply and sharply, not looking back once as he weaved a path around the former cars. The heat of the flames should have stewed his stomach and baked his brains, but he was unaffected by them. He stood, his several dark robes swaying in the wind, as he seemed to look around the city. One of his hands was wrapped in a white bandage, although there seemed to be no wounds underneath.

He could have been handsome, if it weren't for the odd wooden mask that obscured his face. The skin that was visible under his robes glazed with sweat and gleamed with the orange light cast by the fire.

His other hand clutched a small, half-full sack. The sack was held close to his body, as if he were protecting it. Something was inside the bag, the mouth of it bound with several knots of twine. As it moved, quiet, barely audible clinks could be heard.

The man stared at the city all around him, and turned his face up to the savage sky that blazed, coating him with furnace heat.

He laughed.

It was a savage, triumphant laugh that pierced the dull roar of the crackling flames, a wild, howling laugh. The man began to do a shuffling, victorious dance on the hot, shimmering asphalt while the wind blew sparks and smoke across the street. The blackened teeth of the ruined buildings tore at the sky. Only the grinning, blackened corpses in the cars witnessed the spectacle.

"The time of chaos has just begun! Malpercio may be sealed away, but it shall rise yet again! So it has been said, so it has been written, so it shall be and will ever be! All the misled children of the skies shall soon open the path of the nightmarish void! And that will be when you see the true power of Aeitanu! The Gods will strike again, and this time, show no mercy!"

He danced. His feet bumped up and down on the asphalt in an almost drunken manner. His robe flapped wildly. His sack clinked and clanked with glee. The unraveling ends of the bandage fluttered in the hot breath of the wind. 

As he danced, he sang monotonously, the same words over and over. His voice was soft and low.

"Burning wings, burning wings, o bump-ity, _bump!_ Burning wings, burning wings, o bump-ity, _bump!_" Each final _"bump!"_ was followed by a little skipping leap until the heat made everything swim and he stopped, his heart thundering crazily in his arid chest. Grinning, he reached into the bag, opening it with his bandaged hand, and touched the sacred object within. He nodded, after making sure everything was there.

"Lovely…" he whispered, clutching the bag to his chest, eyes squeezed shut. After staying in this pose for a while, he trudged along among the flames of the city.

If one had looked into the sky at that very moment, they might have seen wings, several distorted wings, but for just a fraction of a second before they retreated into the heart of a dying land.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: Deck of Cards

**Several thousand years after the War of the Gods, the apocalyptic age brought down by the fury of Malpercio and several other gods, the world has moved on…**

_"And so the clouds that shielded the heavens were split by spears of light, and thunder roared like a monstrous beast from the depths. The earth cracked and split apart, large sections rising into the skies, the open cracks screaming fire. Once the land was in the sky, snow fell, covering the earth's raw, bleeding wounds…"_ –The Start of Wings and the Heir of the Gods

Kalas.

When first time she met him, she distrusted him upon sight. But eventually, she grew to trust him. He was like her; distrustful, daring, and adventurous. He always made snide remarks, poked fun at strangers. He fought for the fun of it, pulling out any rewards he could from the fights. He was independent, a loner.

That was how he took them by the neck. Took them all in. Took in her and her other companions.

He betrayed them to earn his wings. Two pure, giant, white wings, glowing with a godly light brighter than any light known. However, he had become evil. His soul had been wrenched from his body, and all that was left of him was a doll. A puppet.

He had brought darkness upon himself. And they lifted him from it.

A god had risen. Malpercio. That was its name. That was what she was always taught. Taught to never forget the name, and now she never would.

When Malpercio struck, it struck them all with a mighty beam of light. Even Kalas. They were all on the floor, awaiting the end…awaiting Kalas to finish them off. But he didn't. In one fell motion, he tore off his white wing, and reverted back to his mortal, lone-wolf self. He was Kalas again.

The team reunited under the most dire of circumstances. Malpercio retreated to the stronghold of the gods, Cor Hydrae, allowing their group to get aid from all the lands in the world, and battle Malpercio and its servants. The final battle was going to begin. And they were going to win.

But the battle did not go as planned. Her companions died—Kalas, Lyude, Gibari, everyone—they all died.

They died because of her.

She remembered the command as clear as day. The insane command, yet the command that could have changed it all.

Bind Malpercio. Paralyze it for just a moment.

It should have been easy. Very easy. All she had to do was just paralyze Malpercio for just a little while, and maybe whatever odd idea Kalas had could have just worked. It could have just barely worked.

But she failed.

She had no idea why. But it was probably when Malpercio lowered its head and stared at her. Cold, ruthless, scanning gold eyes, staring at her. Studying her. Calculating her. She had no idea what sort of thoughts, if any, were going through its mind, as its eyes watched her very movements, distracting her for only a second. Which was enough.

With a quick swipe and a howl, a red, ghastly blade was torn from its arm, a blade longer than any other ever crafted. Each slash took less than a second to complete, and each caused a loud crack to resonate through the air. Loud, screeching tears ripped through the air with each swipe, as if the very fabrics of the world were being sliced apart at that very moment. Each swipe dove into one person, tearing through them with quick, precise speed. Each of them were mutilated in their own sick, creative way.

She spun to where Kalas stood last. Perhaps there was still hope—perhaps just a glimmer. Perhaps just a mere, flickering second of hope.

And she remembered the blank, dead look in his eyes as his hand rose to touch the blood pouring all over his body, spilling on the stone floors of the peak of Cor Hydrae. And then he smiled. A ghastly smile, so empty of the emotion that it should have represented. That was when he fell.

His eyes, a pale blue color, the azure blue color of his hair…at that moment, at the moment he struck the roof, they had become the eyes of a corpse. Vacant, emotionless..._blank._ Dead.

Malpercio turned to her, staring at her, as the blade retreated into the recesses of its body. It crossed its arms and stared at her, watching her in total silence. Its chest began moving awkwardly, heaving in and out in quick motions. She recognized it as a laugh.

It was _laughing_ at her. The God of Demise—laughing at her. The god could have just finished her off there and then, but instead, it let her go. It knew that she was too cowardly to face a god on her own.

With that, she broke, in mind, heart and spirit. She left on foot, tears staining her cheeks, walking off into the halls of Cor Hydrae.

---

That was four years ago.

Malpercio managed to destroy everything it could get its hands on. Cities, nations, islands—anything that Malpercio passed by fell to its onslaught. Just about everything.

Well, except for Duhr and Wazn. Their wizards and witches managed to repair their magical defenses, preventing Malpercio from breaking through. However, it probably wouldn't even care, because the two thriving lands had no threats against it. The most their combined might could do was wear its armies down until the point they can't attack, but they can't finish them off.

Other than those two countries, Malpercio attacked everything else almost daily. Small, migrating towns reside in the islands, moving constantly to prevent the attack from Malpercio. Although they can't fight Malpercio directly, if you're not welcome there, you can count yourself as dead.

Wazn and Duhr remained in contact with each other. They shelter the people of the sky, but they can't afford to hold too many people, for fear of lack of provisions. Wazn sends messengers to Duhr to tell of the situation in the skies, while Duhr brings Wazn a good supply of food Magnus for their citizens. It's barely enough to keep them alive, but it's enough.

It's perhaps the only way humanity can survive. Even in the face of death, the human race still thrives.

_Each Magnus has its own soul, Mizuti. Remember that._

Gently, she slid the cards out in rows upon the desk, turning them around and examining them. She enjoyed doing this, because as her eyes wandered across the cards, they whispered memories of a forgotten time. Mizuti shuffled the cards and stared out into space as she recalled those memories.

Sliding a turned-over card to her, she picked it up. The grinning, skeletal visage of a panting wolf stared back at her, tongue lolling out of a toothy maw.

_The Laughing Jackal._ Always pulling dark deeds, then flashing a 'Who, me?' grin at any followers, trapping them with dazzling charisma. Just like Kalas. He fooled them all, taking her in, just like he took everyone else.

'I have to stop thinking about him all the time…' Mizuti thought to herself, pulling the cards back together and shuffling the deck.

Idly, her mind began drifting to him. She lived alone, now, save for her only friend remaining, for she had never seen her parents or even Kee after she left Cor Hydrae.

She used to wander alone and out of town every day…she did not mind. In fact, she didn't notice her self-induced exile from social contact. But it wasn't until Kalas, Xelha and the others came into her life and then left it as abruptly as they had come that she realized the miserable truth…

She hated being alone. She missed them. They were dysfunctional, opposite ends, but the best of friends. She missed them with a desperate, aching emptiness felt in her heart every day. But Kalas…Kalas was a monster. She hated him. She missed him. She hated him. That was how it was every day. It went round and round in her head. She wished to forget it all, forget she ever met him. No matter how her mind screamed _-he's a monster!-_ her heart retaliated with an onslaught of memories of the many times Kalas was kind to her, helped her, and so many more…it was confusing. She hated him, but at the same time, she missed him.

Closing her eyes, she laid the Magnus before her.

Kalas loved the game of cards. They all played it every night, laughing softly as they teased each other and exchanged words of wisdom, gossip, or just plain randomness. All that remained of them now was her treasured, battered deck of Magnus. Sometimes, whenever she was wracked with insomnia, she left her bed and sat by the window, playing with the cards in the moonlight. Like she was doing this night.

Her eyelids slowly drooped. No, just another round, just anothe—

---

Gentle sunlight streamed through a window, pooling on the floor and illuminating the delicate features of Mizuti Kiruseto. The tall, slender eighteen-year old was sprawled out in a deep slumber, facedown on her desk amid towers of haphazardly stacked books, Magnus and other assorted materials. The books leaned crazily at dangerous angles, but by some impossible flux in the law of physics, they remained upright.

The entire room looked as if someone had gone berserk with a level six Wind Blow. Books and papers lay scattered around the room, with Magnus in several piles. Along the walls, more books were stacked in ungainly piles. A futon rested in the corner of the room, and it was apparent that it hadn't seen use for a long time. The room was utterly silent save for the quiet, rhythmic breathing of the girl. Behind her, the window opened out to a magnificent view of Duhr's skyline.

The peaceful silence of the room was rudely interrupted with a blast of raw, howling wind. The book towers swayed as paper and Magnus flew about wildly, but this did not disturb its sleeping occupant. The howling wind hurtling past the window by training wizards was a frequent occurrence, and Mizuti was no longer disturbed by the noise.

Unfortunately, there were still noises that she couldn't block out.

Such as the screaming coming from behind her, for instance.

"MIZUTI!"

Mizuti stirred. Her eyelashes fluttered. A soft moan ground its way out of her slightly parted lips.

"Mizuti, for the last time…"

Large, husky, yet mobile, Keven was Mizuti's only remaining friend left. Light brown hair was neatly combed out of his chocolate-brown eyes, his hair brushed back as well as it could be. He was dressed in dark, dull robes, his belt loosely wrapped around his waist, making him seem almost pudgy. He walked slowly, usually taking his time, unless it all came down to one of his favorite things in the world—_food_. And unfortunately, this being seemed to be hell-bent on making Mizuti's morning as miserable as possible.

He paced around the room, watching Mizuti. She always seemed to ignore him.

"Mizuti?"

Mizuti didn't stir.

Keven paused, and his eyes narrowed. Thoughtfully, he placed his hand under his chin, as he backed up slightly and gazed up at the immobile, sleeping form of the girl.

"Fine. Ignore me. See if I care."

Keven gripped his stomach. He was _hungry._ He needed food. Mizuti was the only person he knew who could cook a good, recognizable meal.

With a frenzied shout, Keven threw himself into motion, shoving aside several towers of books. He grasped onto Mizuti's chair, and pulled it back, running to get out of the way of a falling girl.

_"Aaarrgh!"_

With a shriek that echoed all through the smallroom, Mizuti Kiruseto leapt up to her feet, yelling. Her legs tangled with the legs of her chair, and a heavy thud shook the room for the third time. With a triumphant cry, Keven pumped his fist in the air.

Fumbling for her glasses with hopeless platitude, Mizuti sighed and gave up the search. Her eyes were enchantingly storm grey, but sadly, that was about all they were good for. She could see nothing except for an obscure blur, making it impossible for her to locate her glasses. The girl scowled, her face darkening.

_Popular_ was the last word that would have leapt to anyone's mind when attempting to define Mizuti. Any stranger looking at her saw only a young girl who crept around the halls of libraries, more often than not laden down with thick books. She was introverted and tended to be antisocial, exuding cold and distant vibes that kept others away—a situation which she was perfectly fine with.

Mizuti wasn't as attentive to her own appearance as she was to her studies, and so put absolutely no effort into appearing pretty or graceful. After all, what boy would have been interested in Mizuti Kiruseto? Her idea of a fun evening was curling up in a beaten chair and reading old adventure books about a brighter world than the one she would ever be in.

Therefore, Mizuti always wore her dun brown hair back, tying it back behind her face, and indifferently allowed strands to escape the elastic band, framing her face in unevenly distributed locks of hair. It drove some people mad, but she didn't really care. The hair in question was being brushed out of Mizuti's face as she glared up at Keven.

"Hullo," Keven grinned, stooping and picking up the fallen girl's glasses with one fluid motion. "It's time for another glorious, fun-filled day with your best buddy."

"You're my _only_ friend," sighed Mizuti, dragging herself up to her feet. She quickly snatched up the glasses, fumbling with them slightly as she glared at the older man behind her. "Kev, you know I'm not a morning person."

"You used to be…" Keven muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, you should be."

"Okay, whatever."

"You should be," began Keven. "Because today's the day we have to go out, and—"

"Oh crap!" Mizuti exclaimed, scooping up some clothes and scrambling towards the bathroom. "It's that time already?" Pushing past her roommate, she vanished into the bathroom with a violent slam of the door, although the dramatic exit backfired as the sliding door only placidly slid into place.

"You can make some breakfast for us, first!" Keven called through the bathroom door. He sighed, looking down at his aching stomach. "And fast!"

---

"This is going to be a long day," Mizuti groaned, carefully removing her mask and hooking it back onto her side.

"Yeah, it's hard to drink with all the wind here," complained Kev, taking a sip of some beer Magnus, leaning on the ruins of an ancient sign. Any sort of text on it was scratched off, leaving only bits and pieces of former letters scratched off. Large skeletons of large tower-like buildings raked the skies, as large fangs of blackened steel. Shattered concrete lay all over the ground, debris stacked up on top of them.

Mizuti scrunched up her face at the sight of the flask. "You know that's going to kill you someday."

"Mizuti, you tell me that every day, and what do I say?"

"'It's better than being killed by Malpercio.' A nice alternative. If the beer doesn't rip at your insides, poison your mind, and eventually drive you to insanity and kill you, Malpercio will. Ha ha ha," Mizuti sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. She approached a broken concrete wall, a large hole ripped through it.

"That's funny. But you know what's even more funny?" Keven grunted, wiping his mouth off with his dull grey sleeve.

"What?" Mizuti asked, turning her head away from the wall.

"If you had just done what that Kalas guy asked you," Keven began, twirling the empty flask with his finger. "None of this would have happened."

"Kev!" cried Mizuti, slumping down to the ground. "That's a terrible thing to…" her voice cut off into silence, as she sat on the broken debris.

"Aw, come on! You know I didn't mean it! Whatever he was thinking probably wouldn't work anyway!"

"No! You're right! If I had just done what he told me, this wouldn't ha—"

She was cut off with a fist lightly boxing her side, not hard enough to damage, but enough to shut her up.

"_Shut up_, you baby!" Keven groaned, shaking his head. "Malpercio would have killed you on the spot and taken a happy dance in your intestines, or anyone for that matter. There was NOTHING you could have done, or anyone could have done to stop Malpercio. Once he was awakened, there was no stopping him."

Mizuti paused, sliding on her glasses, shielding dust out of her eyes. "You're right. Sorry. I'm not used to that kind of humor." She shivered slightly in the cold wind. "I hope there aren't any ghosts around here…"

"Now all we'd need is some bad grammar and an egotistical personality and we'd get your old self," chuckled Keven.

"Shuuut uuup!" Mizuti moaned, covering her ears.

"Nyah-nyah."

Mizuti was about to retort, until an odd humming sound began to resonate through the city.

_Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr… _

"Something's coming!" she hissed, looking around frantically for the source of the sound. Keven's flask retreated into a Magnus, as he pulled Mizuti behind the wall. Carefully, he poked his head around the wall, checking for whatever things would arrive.

An odd tik-tak sound occurred as the being landed on the ground. Keven looked over the awkward being he saw, raising an eyebrow.

The being was oddly robotic, its armor a pale green. Dark metal boots lightly struck the ground, two red spheres embedded into each side of them. Large triangular emeralds rose from the peak of the boot, resting on the thing's knees. Around its waist, covering most of the rest of its lower half, was a dark green kilt-like cloak, wrapping almost completely around its waist. A belt held up the kilt, its buckle a red gem. Oddly, plates of steel, highlighted with green, protected its lower torso, small indents placed near the edge of each plate. Over its chest was a large piece of emerald armor that protected the entirety of the chest, leaving only room for its neck to poke through. Two plates of shoulder armor, bordered with red, protected the shoulders. One upper arm was covered with a white sleeve, tucked into metal plating, red encircling each end, a gloved hand poking from the bottom of the armor. Very oddly, the other arm was entirely metal, metal plating for the upper armor, and the same armor covering the other lower arm. Its head was protected with a large helmet, most of it a large mirror-like plating, jutting out at many edges. At the sides of it, there were two large red circles, one per side, protecting the sides of its face. Or whatever it was protecting. A screen sat over its eyes making it unclear as to what its eyes looked like underneath, large red pieces of rubber-like material surrounding the screen. Large triangular spines were at the sides of its head, metal plating bolted together to form it. There seemed to be five in all, two on each side and one jutting up over its viewing screen, though there could have been more in the back of its head Keven failed to notice.

'_That thing looks awful dangerous,_' Keven pondered to himself. '_I had better be careful._'

"Who is it?" Mizuti whispered. Keven merely shushed her.

"You two can come out," the being grunted. It had a female voice to it, though a deeper, hollow voice seemed to come out, as if it were some sort of background effect.

Keven grunted to himself, spilling out of the wall, Mizuti following. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," the being said simply. "All I can do for you is tell you to get out. Now."

"Why?" Mizuti asked, obviously not caring for this person's warning.

The person was about to speak up until another hiss sped through the air. The person cringed, turning around to the sound. "Hide!" they suddenly whispered, pulling the other two behind the wall along with its own self.

Another being landed, with a loud clunk. The trio noticed a large, silver robot had landed, a bulky, tank-like robot. Large rockets were attached to each of its four limbs. All of its features were oversized, and it seemed impossible to move, but oddly the creature moved with relative ease. Two large cannonball-sized fists hung at its sides, seemingly able to crush a wall in seconds. Its massive body seemed to be enlarged with four large wing-like objects, which seemed to be unable to fold back. That was a bad thing, however, for the wings were long and had several knife-like tips, making it seem to be awful painful to slam into. Its head seemed to be a large silver helmet, two glowing red eyes glaring through the visor. The robot looked around the area, as if attempting to look for something.

Pressing a few buttons on its wrist, a layer of red covered its visor, several lights flashing from underneath. The robot turned to the wall, and made a sound effect that oddly sounded like a scoff.

"Oh, please…"

"Did that thing…talk?" Mizuti whispered.

The red screen retreated, as the robot lifted up its arm, placing its other hand over it as if inserting something. A large laser mounted itself over the fist, as an odd sound echoed through the empty city as it charged power. As soon as a red light grew inside of the gun, Keven and Mizuti were thrown out by their new companion. As soon as that occurred, the laser hissed at the wall, cleanly cutting out a section of it before exploding, just as everyone fled from the scene.

As soon as smoke and dust blew out of Keven's sight, he opened his eyes, sprawled out on the ground. He turned to Mizuti, who was staggering up to her feet, brushing stray hair out of her face. Lifting his woozy head, he pulled himself up, clutching his forehead.

"He sure said something. I bet it was 'Hi! I'm a big bad machine! I'm here to blow your brains out! How are you doing today?'"

"I think he said—" Mizuti began, before the robot suddenly locked its face on her. Mizuti quickly grasped onto Keven's sleeve, and took off as fast as she could go. "RUN FOR IT!"

Suddenly, the emerald robot, arms spread out at each side, suddenly stood in front of Keven and Mizuti, yelling out "Stop!"

"It told us to stop," Keven remarked.

"Heck no!" Mizuti retorted, running.

The silver robot let out a booming laugh. "Hah! Let the humans run! Let the cowardly humans run! Let them run for all they care, because that's all they're good for! Good-for-nothing cowards!" spat the robot.

"Okay, now it wants us to stop," Keven reiterated.

Mizuti did stop, turning to the silver battle machine with a scowl on her face, glaring at the beast.

"Oh, you didn't have to stop," snickered the robot, his gun hissing back to a fist. "So, Mechi, what are you doing hanging out with a freakshow like this? Trying to get some quality time with your peers?"

"It's Mechizedik," the robot girl groaned, as if she were repeating things said countless times in the past. "And I'm not trying to get any quality time with anyone. So you can just shut up now, bot-boy."

The robot groaned. "First off, it's Devix, okay? Dee-ee-vee-aye-ecks. Second, you're really, really wanted by the boss. Yeah, you, Mechi," Devix announced, looking at its knuckles admirably. "OH. Excuse me, Mechizedik."

"Are you a bounty hunter?" Mizuti piped in.

"Ding ding ding! That's correct! Give the good lady her prize, Johnny! A brand new…PRISON!"

The robot suddenly shot out a large, sparking net, electricity leaping from it in small jolts. Mizuti backed off, shielding herself with her arms, awaiting the capture. However, Keven's arm intervened, whipping around a gauntlet protected arm. The armor disintegrated back to Magnus form as Keven ripped the net off of his arm. "Yeah, whatever, I don't think she's getting that prize today, Devlick something-or-other."

"Not bad!" chirped Devix. "But how do you fare…" he began, a large chain gun suddenly flashing onto his arm, chains of bullets wrapping over his shoulders. "Against a gun?"

As the robot prepared to fire, something silver suddenly whipped through the air with a hiss. In seconds, embedded in the robot's chest was a small silver knife. Keven had already pulled out a hand of Magnus, a longer, pointier blade in his hand. Bored, he began to twirl the hilt rapidly, still watching his target.

The robot removed the knife, dropping it to the ground. "Ok, I see you fare prett—"

The next blade charged into the robot's arm.

"Okay, this is jus—"

Another one hissed into its leg. Followed by several others, each zinging after each other.

"Hey, stop, liste—"

When Keven had exhausted his hand, he crouched down, watching his enemy pull out the weapons from his limbs. The robot jumped back, charging up his gun, pointing it to the small group before him. "All right," the robot hissed. "You wanted a fight, you got one!"

Hundreds of bullets began blasting at the ground, the robot slowly moving back inch by inch with each blast. The group quickly dispersed in their own separate ways, some sort of protection donned and Magnus in hand. Mechizedik placed her Magnus into a slot on her left arm, a large gun's nose pointing out of her arm.

Devix turned to Mechizedik, his steel wings pulling out to the sides as the pointed tips arched forward. Jets roaring on, the robot suddenly hovered low against the ground at oddly high speeds, arms held out behind him. Mechizedik seemed to need just a moment of concentration before she began firing at the robot that charged towards her. Despite her blasting in bullet after bullet, Devix's sudden charge seemed to have been unaffected by the gunplay. She quickly recalled her gun, clenching her fist, rearing it back to strike. As soon as Devix was about to hit her, she smashed her fist into a wing, sending him flying clumsily in circles. He was prey to a stab in the back, before he regained control. Mechizedik, however, lifted up her next gun in line, firing it madly at the robot, who deflected most of the shots with defense Magnus. She continued her barrage, attempting to get in a hit on the robot. The robot slowly began charging towards her again, and she continued firing, until horrid sounds began echoing from her gun's barrels, a sound she feared in combat.

_Click! Click! Click!_

She looked up at the impending doom in front of her, approaching her much too quickly. She lifted a hand to protect herself, attempting to grab some sort of defense, before this thing…

The robot suddenly let out a howl of pain, as it was lit up in flame like a firecracker. Metal began melting all over its body, some parts dripping as hot silver liquid. It was suddenly covered in a shroud of darkness, making it seem like some sort of fireball from Hell. Mechizedik quickly jumped out of the way of the howling robot, and turned to see the male slapping the girl on the back.

"Great job, Mizuti! I knew you'd get off your lazy butt and help us out here a bit!"

"Shut up, Keven."

Devix's flames eventually died back into its Magnus, as well as its dark shroud. He turned his head back to Mizuti, hissing slightly. Oh, how she would regret ever getting in his way…

He turned his head to see where he was going, and shrieked to see a concrete wall dead ahead. Devix attempted to veer out of the way, in any sort of way, but instead collided with the wall, showered with an avalanche of several hundred bricks. An explosion sounded from the ruins of the wall, leaving behind hundreds of sooty bricks.

"Now that was awesome!" Mizuti cried, jogging up to the bricks. As soon as she approached them, Mechizedik cried out a metallic warning.

"Look out! Devix!"

From behind a building blasted through Devix, his wings shattered and cracked, several parts of his body a hot, watery liquid. His Magnus were gone with the explosion, and he stood there, his voice a staticky hiss.

"What?" Keven yelled, jumping back slightly. "That Devlicks blew up!"

Mizuti, not thinking and acting upon impulse and instinct, suddenly spun around to Devix and smashed her fist in his head with a loud clang.

She squeezed her eyes shut, tears slowly dripping out of the edges of her eyes. "Ow…"

"Mizuti, that thing's made out of _metal. _Even I knew that."

"I forgot, okay!" Mizuti groaned, clutching her fist in pain.

At this, Devix suddenly saw his moment to attack. With the girl distracted, he suddenly kicked up a foot, smashing her in the jaw. He did not care about where she landed, and merely began stalking to the other two remaining opponents.

"Hey! Did you ever hear the rule _'It's not nice to hit girls?_'" Keven shouted, a wickedly long, boomerang-shaped knife in his hand.

"Oh, that was a girl?" giggled Devix.

"Why you little…" snarled Keven, his grip on the knife tightening. He reached into his pocket, and dug out an oddly colored Magnus.

'Level Seven Finisher,' pondered Keven in haste. 'This had better work…'

He tapped his mind into the Magnus, and shot his eyes open. He spun to what seemed to be a former machine, a blackened skeleton sitting inside. He looked over the rusted steel, beaten and smashed down into a small clump. Of course, the deceased owner wouldn't mind…

He threw the card onto it, pointing his knife to it.

"I'll show you what real power is! Reaper's Requiem—"

Flickers of amber, red and orange began gathering around Keven's blade, as he lifted it into the air, a hazy light reflecting off the polished tip of the weapon. The fiery colors gathered around Keven and the blade, a storm of colors.

"Autumn Harvest!"

He brought the blade down on the machine, chopping it in half. With a bright flash of light, the two metal halves flew into the air, swiftly flying to its target, Devix.

"Oh crap…" whimpered Devix, as he slowly backed away from the flurry of colors and metal.

The two halves collided with each other, the amber leaves slowly fading into the wind as swiftly as they had come. Devix was caught in the collision, and should surely have been destroyed.

"Cute trick! Try again!" howled Devix, leaping from the wreckage.

Keven, exhausted, turned to swing his fist, but missed as the robot swiftly dodged. He nearly fell to the ground, but quickly caught himself, and swung again, only to miss. He growled, and kept trying to hit, vigorously, but continued to miss as the robot dodged each and every attempt. Mechizedik tried to join in, but Keven constantly intervened in her line of fire, and so they weren't getting anywhere.

Keven collapsed to his knees, panting, looking up at the robot with great distaste.

"Can't touch me, now, can you?" snorted the robot, the snort sounding like an odd, hollow grunt.

"ARRGGH!"

Mizuti leapt from a wreckage, leaping onto the robot's head, kicking at it before falling off. She shoved him around, threw Magnus at him, before shoving his near-decimated body to the cracked, dirty ground.

"Oooooooh…holy crap…" Devix whimpered, lifting himself up to the ground. Looking up at his opposition, he was suddenly witness to an odd sight.

Mechizedik was charging towards him, her gun arm glowing with an oddly ethereal light. Green spears cracked off of it, as shades of emerald and jade slowly twisted into her body.

"Ipse dixit!" Mechizedik shouted, before grasping onto Devix's body. She leapt into the air, long silver blade-like wings sprouting from her back. They were just several shining pointed blades, shaped like a skeleton of wings, several wires connecting it to her body, lifting her to the skies with a whistle of wind. She grasped onto Devix's neck, the green light charging into his body with a continuous hiss.

"Hand of Chronos! Tempus Fugit!"

The rays of emerald light burst into Devix, odd symbols seemingly carving into the air, Devix freezing in mid-air. Mechizedik grasped onto his body, spinning around him, before releasing him and falling to the ground. Devix floated in the air for a moment, before time kicked back in. Large spears of light stabbed all over his body, causing a great burst of green light to spear through the dusty sky. Devix was thrown up due to the impact, and thrown into the peak of a tall, creaking tower, full of rows of glass windows, most of which were cracked and shattered. Devix crunched into a wall, loud cracks and squeals of gears and electricity screaming through the empty, barren landscape. Then, he fell down, slamming against the tower, leaving behind a long trail of cracked windows and broken pieces of steel and concrete. It was like a meteor had struck into a wall, and rolled down along the way. His body fell limply, as he fell into the ground to his fate.

The concrete street gave way to the falling body, smashing a ditch for the being's grave. His entire body was shattered, an arm and a leg shattered and mostly fallen off. His entire body was nearly melted into a silver puddle, and his head was bashed up like it was hit by a club. Several loosened pebbles and stones fell down to accompany Devix on his fall, and bounced off of his metal corpse as he lay there; dead.

"Ugh," Keven groaned, lying down on his back, dozens of cuts and bruises all over his body. Mizuti was no better; she was currently treating a horrid bloody nose and a wounded arm and fist. Mechizedik seemed to be in the best condition, but still weary, moving slowly, with deep, wheezing breaths.

"…okay?" groaned the gunner.

"As fine as I can be," sighed Mizuti, her nose pinched.

The group rested a bit, recovering as best as they could on the solid, hard ground. Keven looked at Mechizedik, slightly suspicious about her attire. "And who are you?"

"You heard my name. Mechizedik," the girl said simply. "That's all you need to know for now."

Keven simply nodded in response, too tired to question further. However, there was no more time to rest, as an odd droning, humming sound resonated through the air. At the very sound, Mechizedik jumped with a gasp, looking around, as if horrified at what was about to come.

"Androns…" she muttered to herself. She quickly turned to the other two. "You two, we need to get out of here right away! Andros are coming!"

"And-whats?" Keven groaned.

"No time to explain! We've got to get out of this place before they come! Get on your feet and get moving!" She had a desperate tone to her voice.

"Yeah, it's best if we get out of here anyway. I'm bushed," sighed Keven. "Come on, Mizuti, we'd better go." Mizuti nodded in agreement, hoisting herself up. The eerie groan lasted for a few more seconds before the three ran off, whatever reason left with Mechizedik.

---

In the empty ruins of a city lost in the havoc of time landed two shadowy beings, flitting in with the shadows of the past.

"Mr. X," asked one voice, a voice that seemed to belong to a great and powerful sort of person. "Any sign of her?"

"No idea, Mr. S," answered another, deeper voice. "Devix must have failed. You can see him over there. Strange, it seems he was not only shot down to oblivion, but burned and stabbed as well…"

"Who knows what that girl could have done, Mr. X," chuckled the first voice. "Should we destroy Devix's body, take away any sign of evidence?"

"No, Mr. S, let it be a warning to the Androns. Round up the Androns, and let us move on."

"Of course, Mr. X. It would be best to keep searching."

There was a sound of fading footsteps, before the two beings left the area. They didn't notice an odd puddle of mingling red and black liquids where Mechizedik stood.

---

This stupid laptop of mine won't separate paragraphs. Doof. Anyway,I finished the first chapter. Now, if you want pairings in this fic of mine, you had better tell me what you want, because I suck at pairing up characters. Feel free to put in your thoughts. And I don't own Baten Kaitos either. Nehehe.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: Empty Grey Eyes

"_The lands of the skies were built on the graves of the First Civilizations of Earth by the survivors of the War of the Gods. The several countries in the skies, Sadal Suud, Diadem, Anuenue, Mira and Alfard, each share unique cultures, technologies, and wildlife, among many other things. These islands were once major lands in the old world, and still are today. These lands were placed in the sky for the sole purpose of avoiding the mistakes of the old world. The old world's mistakes and blunders were what led to their demise. The lands of the skies, each balanced in their own way, were made that way so that the Humans and the Gods may exist with each other peacefully—the gods on the Earth, and the people in the Sky._

_How humans earned their Wings of Heart is currently unknown. However, there are ancient legends of a group of ancient beings, calling their group the Affiliation, may have had some sort of part in this mystery. The Affiliation has not been seen or heard of in thousands of years, like several other legendary lands, and so the general population, even those of the higher classes, have limited knowledge about these secretive lands. No one quite knows about whether or not these islands exist…except for the inhabitants themselves."_-The Start of Wings and the Heir of the Gods 

Mizuti walked down the stairs of the literally ice-cold castle of Kaffaljidhma, dressed and as ready for the day as she could manage. Kalas was slouched against the bottom staircase, facing his own reflection in the gaping, hissing maw of a dragon statue, wings flared open, ready to strike. He didn't appear to be looking at it or anything else in particular. His dark blue eyes had an unfocused, distant aspect about them. At his side were the Magnus that Kalas cherished.

Mizuti paused in the doorway to study him, struck as always by just how simple, yet elegant he looked. Next to Kalas, Mizuti always felt clunky and clumsy. Somehow, Kalas had been blessed with a small pack of female fans, as if they were infected with some kind of virus. Symptoms included blushing girls at the mention of his name, the unmistakable desire to protect him and cherish him, and denying any sort of crush against him. Mizuti found it all utterly ridiculous.

"Hullo," Mizuti said, floating next to Kalas.

"Hullo, yourself," Kalas replied, looking up and sweeping up his cards with a deft movement of his hands. As soon as he noticed Mizuti, he grinned. "One of these days, I wish you'd try to take more pride in your appearance. You shouldn't hide that cute face under that thousand-year-old mask of yours."

Mizuti blew out her mouth in an exaggerated sigh at Kalas's expression of amused disapproval. Kalas always had an innate talent of finding the right chinks in her armor to poke a finger through. A pink tinge colored in her cheeks as she glanced away from Kalas's grinning face.

"Ah, but it's true! You just don't give yourself enough credit. Why, you should've seen your face after I tossed in the dud bomb in your room!"

For the second time that morning, Mizuti's face flushed bright red as Kalas's words hit her with shocking realization.

"You set the Great Mizuti up, Kalas? Kalas did that on _purpose!_"

Her discomfort only seemed to fuel the blatant amusement that encompassed the young adult. Kalas put his hands together and smiled innocently.

"A trap is only good if the prey falls into his grasp."

Mizuti crossed her arms and glared at her roommate from behind her mask.

"The Great Mizuti really not be liking Kalas now," she grumbled.

"But I like you," came the quick reply which immediately knocked down the girl's stern stance, sending her into another frenzy.

"Kalas!"

Kalas laughed, a hand over his stomach as peals of mirth continued its relentless attack.

"Ah, I can never have ripe apples again, for it'd only remind me of my dear Mizuti's rage."

Kalas stood up, pushing himself away from the banister. As he strode past Mizuti, he reached out and took the opportunity to land a swift poke at her unguarded arm.

"The Great Mizuti is going to blast Kalas into Prominence!" retorted the red-faced girl, hands now covering her face in an attempt to protect herself from further humiliation.

"Hmm… never noticed that card…" said Kalas, a hand resting thoughtfully under his chin, "It must have been buried under that pile of letters thanking me for my harassment."

Mizuti could feel her mouth jittering with the need for some sort of smart comeback. Unfortunately, her head refused to function with clarity after the continuous attacks.

A distant, heavy roar of wind was swiftly rising in pitch from outside. Kalas stepped back as a white blur suddenly flew past the castle, blasts of air hissing through the door. The booming roars abruptly cut off as the dragon banked and circled back, coming down for a landing upon a sort of runway that drifted outside the castle. Kalas smiled and turned to Mizuti as the dull thud of talons slamming against packed snow rang out.

"Do you have everything you need? Our ride's just arrived."

The White Dragon dipped her head towards Kalas and Mizuti as they made their way from the castle, Xelha and the others already aboard. The dragon had already settled down and made herself comfortable upon the ice and snow. Dark grey clouds overcast the morning sun, which forecasted another blast of snow.

The White Dragon was Xelha's special partner, her bonded The dragon graciously offered her services of transportation to them several times a week, flying them to any and all places they needed. When the dragon wasn't available for pickup and drop-off, they usually managed to get some sort of ride on a boat of some sort. Unfortunately for Mizuti, Wazn didn't have that sort of service. Right behind her fear of ghosts, she was morbidly terrified of heights.

Nervously, Mizuti edged towards the mighty dragon. She was well aware that the White Dragon would never hurt her, since she was Xelha's bonded, but her wickedly sharp talons never ceased to intimidate the timid girl. Not to mention that the imposing dragon was easily dozens of times her height, and even more her weight.

Impatient, Kalas pulled Mizuti towards the White Dragon and pushed her up on the dragon's back, then mounted himself by Xelha, ignoring Mizuti's small squeak of fright.

"Ready, everyone?" Xelha inquired pleasantly.

"Yes," Mizuti mumbled, a soft whisper among the words of approval. She was in the back, floating between the dragon's wings. She was badly nervous, since it was impossible to get a good grip. It was rather smooth after all, and it was easy for her to imagine herself slipping off that smooth, slick surface…falling, falling, falling forever through the infinite blue-

Suddenly, the world was rudely yanked from out under her feet. Everything disappeared into a howling, shrieking blur of grey, blue, and white.

Mizuti's innards lurched and did a lazy flip as the mighty dragon catapulted herself into the sky, a rapidly shrinking dot in the sea of grey. Inertia slammed Mizuti into the dragon, dragging against the dragon's back.

Mizuti shut her eyes and kept her head firmly down, trying and failing to ignore the wind howling past her ears. No matter how many times she had ridden the vast dragon, it still terrified her every time.

-----

A winged bullet sliced the sky, carving whirling furrows in the clouds and sending them swirling wildly, tumbling, spinning, frothing; waves on a sweaty summer day. The roar of the wind blasted out by the sheer force of the steel, almost sword-like wings was deafening, and sliced through the clouds with ease.

Sunlight gleamed dully off the blades of Mechizedik's wings as she leaned into the wind, folding her razor sharp wings back. The world spun as she plunged towards earth like a stone, hands drawn out to her sides, eyes closed.

With a flourishing crack of her wings, she pulled herself out of its dive and shrieked across the purple-clouded skyline, skimming along dark clouds of taint.

She looked down on the earth below, her eyes finally opening. Duhr, they called it. In legends, it was known as the Land of the Gods, the land where the gods would first set foot in. Looking down on the land, all she could see was dark, barren land, the plantlife greatly contrasting from the rest of the land below. She looked back up as she burst through a bloated, puffy cloud, diving down below.

Mechizedik let her wings spread out in twin swords, drifting lazily above as land below unfolded beneath her wingtips. Far down below, in Gemma, people walked along the pathways. They were tiny multicolored dots that collided and separated and merged and swirled and flowed around each other in the canyons of buildings.

Beyond the edges of civilization, there was only endless barren land. The world was vast and stretching out into what seemed like eternity in all directions. It was plain and featureless, except for two mighty monuments that stood behind her. A long, twisting labyrinth of stones and grey buildings, no life within its walls.

And Zosma—the Tower of the Ancients. A tower built by inhuman hands, the peak of Duhr, far, far away from any village. Whenever she dared to look at it, she immediately turned away—something, carved deep inside her mind, locked away from ancient ages from distant decades told her not to. And she didn't have any business doing so.

Duhr was just Duhr. A tiny blossom of life in a world of death, chaos and destruction.

-----

She awoke, eyes shooting open instantaneously, her heart thumping painfully against her ribs. Mizuti had awoken to a frightening chorus of howls and screams.

"Wuzzat?" she mumbled, her brain not having yet caught up with her body. She looked around the room, bleary-eyed, expecting a long quest to discover her glasses. To her surprise, they were right next to her. She put them on, and was shocked to see what had happened to the room.

It was almost _clean_. The books were stacked in a row in alphabetic order, the Magnus in a tall pile, and even some furniture dug up from underneath the former piles. The only thing off about the room was the horrendous, continuous howls.

"What's that?" she repeated, more clearly.

Keven peered his head around the corner. "Oh, hey Mizuti. Nice to see you up early for a change. Mechizedik found some cluckers. You can make eggs for breakfast."

Mizuti scooted up, following Keven. He led her to a small flock of grey birds, looking at Mechizedik with indignant obsidian eyes as she scooped up small eggs into a basket. She stood, hands over her ears, until the other girl left the room, the cluckers immediately quieting, but looking at her intimidatingly.

"Eggs," the robotic girl said simply. Most of her armor had been removed, but the helmet still remained donned. She still looked the same as before, but with stitches in the cloth easily visible, as if the armor fell over the clothing.

"How come we never noticed the cluckers?" questioned Keven.

"They're hard to catch. They're all over the place, but you can't really notice them. Don't worry too much about it."

"What will you make, Mizuti? Real food?"

"If you get me a skillet, I'll try."

"Finally!" Keven exclaimed, licking his lips. "Say, you think you can add any ham to it? I'm suddenly strangely hungry…"

He stopped short when they noticed that there was an intruder inside the room. A person was leaning back in Mizuti's desk, a book open as they read through the pages, as if they didn't have a care in the world. Their body was covered in a dark grey, tattered cloak, a hood draped over their head, hiding any sort of features of their body.

"All right, what are you doing here?" Keven groaned, his request for breakfast interrupted by the sight of the stranger.

The person continued reading, as if they didn't hear Keven. However, eventually, they spoke, in a low, muffled voice.

"Mizuti, Keven, Mechizedik. Greetings," the person said, standing up, leaving the open book on the desk. The person's face was covered with an odd, dark grey apparatus, although most of it was covered in shadow. The most they could see of their eyes were two white slits, any sort of emotion unreadable. Several slits were carved into the face of their mask, most likely used to breathe and talk through. The rest of their face was doused in darkness.

"Hello," Mizuti responded with caution, knowing she would be the only one to do so.

"I was merely reading some ancient stories. Old stories dragged into the depths of the earth, never to be seen by the heavens again…stories of the Soul Scrapers."

Soul Scrapers. The name rang through Mizuti's head with a cold, shivering sensation. She had read stories about them in the same book this person was reading. Several years ago, books were her getaway from her boring duties in the village. Many of her favorite tales were read during the night, when the freezing night air grasped at the skin, chilling down to the very soul of a person. Lit only by the light of the hazy stars, she read the most frightening tales alone, out in these gloomy nights, and she was terrified by them. The stories concerned themselves, for the most part, of dark, sinister ghosts called Soul Scrapers.

They were the ghosts of fallen gods, never completely sealed away. They changed into beautiful, angelic people, lovely beings that seduced their victims with delicate grace, amazing charisma, and a beautiful disposition while scraping and absorbing the souls of their victims, sucking them dry of emotion. What they left behind were empty husks, as so described in the tales. She distantly remembered one Soul Scraper, Ardemicio, reaching into the depths of a person's heart, ripping out their still-beating heart and consuming it, before swallowing their soul, leaving behind a mindless doll.

"Oh, those stupid stories," Keven chuckled. "Those legends of those things that ate kids who didn't learn magic. Well, I didn't learn how to use magic, and look where I am now."

"Soul Scrapers? Can someone explain?" Mechizedik interrupted, placing the basket of eggs on the ground.

"Ghost gods that eat lazy people. They aren't real, of course, because you've got a living example—twenty-nine and still ticking. Anyway, what do you want? Eggs?"

"Discussing a matter over some eggs is a good idea," the person suggested. "Would you like some help?"

"Sure," Mizuti shrugged. She had some friends keeping an eye on this person, and the person was outnumbered, so she wouldn't have much to worry about. Other than burning their precious eggs.

------

"Great Kamroh, I bring you news."

"Ah. You have arrived. What sort of things have occurred in the skies?"

"I'm afraid to say that a lot of things have happened. And I believe there is more to come."

"Oh no…"

"Let's see…our scouts have written out a report of the things that have happened. 'In Anuenue, the Celestial Tree has fallen by unknown reasons. In detail, something like a shudder ran through the Celestial Tree, followed by a vein of fire bursting from the roots, running to the upper reaches of the tree and setting it, and the rest of the forest aflame. We managed to flee, fortunately. The fire of Anuenue burnt endlessly for three days, sending reams of thick black ash out over the entire country. When the rain finally came, we went to see the results, and mind you, they were horrifying.

The Celestial Tree was nothing more than a blackened charred remains of what it once was. The forest area surrounding it was practically all gone, animals and people dead where they stood.' And I'm sorry to say, this is just the beginning. Now, allow me to continue.

'In Diadem, what was once the Cloud passage suddenly became a tornado, pouring thick clouds into Nashira, causing suffocation.

A massive storm built up over Sadal Sudd, where thunder and lightning struck furiously, destroying buildings, burning forests and tearing huge chunks out of the ground.

On Alfard, the ground shook and the Lava Caves exploded, sending rivers of lava spewing out, reducing Azha to ashes in a matter of minutes.

In Mira, the balance between dimensions caved in, and the entire country disappeared, swallowed up by a dark hole. All attempts to contact them have failed.'"

"I can't believe this. It is just like the War of the Gods…except there is no place to retreat to now."

"On a lighter note, we have actually managed to come into contact with _them_."

"You mean…"

"Yes, we have. They agree to help us, but under one condition. They have written it down right here, and they say the deal should be very agreeable, considering our condition. They have asked only you and your assistant, Lord Krumly, to read it. Here, let me pass it to you…"

…

"…hm. Pass this on to Lord Krumly. I'll think about this offer and reply later. Thank you very much. You may collect your Magnus outside."

"Yes. The citizens of Wazn thank you. I'll report again next month. Goodbye."

-----

"Aah…that was the best meal I've had in ages," Keven groaned, leaning back in his chair.

"Now that we have eaten," the stranger began, having not yet introduced themselves. "May I get to the purpose of why I was here?"

The other three looked at each other before nodding.

"Mizuti," the stranger said. Mizuti shuddered. How did all these people know who she was? "Have you ever heard of the Affiliation?"

The words echoed in a hollow way, as Mizuti remembered in a surge—

_Her father stood by the entrance, peering into the room. Ten-year-old Mizuti Kiruseto, seated on her bed, experimenting with some of her Magnus. He looked at her curiously, before whispering the familiar word—"The Affiliation is interested in you…"_

"Only a little," Mizuti said quietly.

"The Affiliation is interested in you. We would enjoy it if you joi—"

"No," Mizuti said simply, attempting to end the conversation right there.

The stranger nodded, sitting back. "I guess that ends that. However, there are several more matters we are in need to discuss."

"Hold it," Keven said. "_Why _should we listen to you? I don't care about anything you have to say. I don't even know who you are. All I know is that you barged into our room and started messing around with our stuff. So, unless you've got a good reason to say why I should listen to you, then go on. Otherwise, I don't care about what you want to say."

"Well, then," the person said. "I might as well leave. Of course, only if your other friend doesn't want to listen to what I have to say…of course, your friend doesn't seem to be here right now."

"What?"

The two looked beside themselves, only to discover that the robot was missing. The odd mechanical whirring that they heard yesterday suddenly began to fill the air, but in greater amounts than before. They quickly stood up, bolting out of the door, the stranger following them.

"Did you do this?" Mizuti said, a faint amount of suspicion in her voice.

"Of course not," the stranger replied, blank, white triangles staring at Mizuti.

At the outskirts of the village, where only dry sand and dirt blew around in tiny whirlwinds, Mechizedik stood, gritty sand gathering into small crevices in her body. She seemed to ignore this, and looked to the sky intently, one fist clenched, the other already becoming a gun.

"The Androns."

"You never did explain that," Keven said as he approached the robot.

"Well, you won't have to worry," Mechizedik muttered, pointing a finger to the sky. "There they are now."

_Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..._

"I don't see anything."

_Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..._

"You will soon."

_KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..._

Right then, with several loud clangs, three sinisterbeings thudded down to the ground. Three robots. They looked almost like angelic beings, like the lesser servants of Malpercio, but they obviously weren't. In the gaps of their metal skin and armor, large spear-like protrusions poked out. Steel pulleys replaced their joints, and over their hands were titanium claws. The claws gleamed wickedly in the sun, casting dancing lights around the domain of sand. Their eyes were mechanical lenses, which glared at them with a red light. Large steel, skeletal wings were attached to their back, jet packs underneath.

"What's tha-" Mizuti began, catching up to the other three, before sensors screeched and chattered.

"WARNING! WARNING! MOTION DETECTED AT SECTOR DELTA! ELIMINATE ALLTARGETS OBJECTIVE: ACTIVATED!"

One Andron's extensions rotated and slid away, mirroring those of its allies.

"ENGAGING BATTLE MODE! ELIMINATE ALL TARGETS!"

Silver and obsidian plates slid back to reveal assault weaponry, which smoothly slid into place.

"Oh, hell," Keven groaned. "Not another one!"

The enigmatic stranger pulled out an arm from the depths of their cape, and in their hand they held an odd weapon, if it was one. They held a white quill, white ink dabbed on the tip of the pen. They held it up to their chest, as if pondering whether to attack or not.

"What are you going to do with that?" Mizuti asked, a small hand of Magnus clasped in one hand.

"Fight."

In the center of one Andron's chest, where an odd mechanical weapon of sorts gleamed dully in the light, an odd spark began gathering in the back of it.

"Lightning Cannon cartridge: Locked and loaded! Fire at will!"

The air was suddenly filled with the deep-throated, thunderous explosionsof gunfire and the crackling white-hot roar of a Lightning Cannon's projectiles.

"Be careful with those guns and claws of theirs!" Mechizedik warned as a deadly sphere of blue electricity roared past her head as she fired back at the mechanical monstrosities.

A roaring flare of lightning snaked through the air from an Andron's arm, slicing around at the air in a jagged streak of blue and white. However, before it hit anyone, a large spear of light punched through its arm, cutting off the attack. The cloaked stranger had stabbed their quill through the arm of the Andron, a smoking hole hissing through. They spun around, another pen in hand, as they struck again.

Keven's knives silently streaked through the air, stabbing into the robot enemy, its arm full of holes. One of its fellow robots, which he failed to notice, loomed behind him, and stabbed him in the side. Keven swiftly turned away, arm at his side. Scarlet blood trickled out between his fingers, seeping onto the dirt. With his other hand, he weakly grabbed another dagger, gritting his teeth at this odd menace. He lashed out, swiping at the robot, the enemy flying back before he could get inany sort of hit. The enemy fired back rapidly, swinging its weapons back and forth, strafing the area with whirling projectiles. The human wildly zigzagged back and forth, leaping aside, ducking, and jumping over the spinning bullets in a desperate gamble to dodge the attacks. He couldn't help but notice Mizuti helping Mechizedik with her robot, before he noticed the third robot about to join in the fray. Keven, not wanting his allies, except for that odd being who had joined their numbers in the last second, to get injured like he did.

"Look out!"

Mizuti averted her gaze to the looming robot, slipping out a card from her deck. She held the card between her hands, and whispered under her breath, "Arcanum..."

She became an explosion of flames, roaring proudly like a lion, as she charged into the enemy with a "Prominence!"

A deafening explosion sounded as the fury of fire, with a flaming mane and a fiery muzzle with golden, glaring eyes smashed into the robotic fury. A shriek punctured into the howls of fire on metal, as the robot exploded in a storm of furious sparks and a shower of oil, clattering to the ground in a thunderous boom in a final rain of twisted, charred metal, and a chestnut-haired girl, who landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Then, a large quill sliced through a robot's arm, and it screamed. It was a howling wail, like that of a wounded beast. "MY ARM! MY ARM!" the robot screeched as it dipped through the air furiously. "PAIN! PAIN!"

Copper-colored blood dripped out of its mechanical socket, the bullet-filled arm clattering to the ground. The sounding echo of an assault rifle thundered through the air as black holes hissed through the robot's chest, lightning cracking off of it. It thudded to the ground, several black holes in its chest, eyes flickering out into a dull grey.

There was a hollow scream, a dull thud, and then the smell of molten steel wafting through the air.

"System...mal...function...dead..."

Then there was...silence.

A silence far more ghastly than the lingering sound of ascream in thesmoke-tinged haze.Oil dripped out of its wounds in blots of black.

"Units Two and Three...disabled."

Keven suddenly flew through the air along with a boom, as he was thrown off his feet and sprawledonto the ground. Even more blood flowed from a raw gash in his forehead.

With a groan, he lifted himself up with his elbows. "Anyone got something to heal me with?"

The robot charged then, blades drawn ahead of it, a spiraling spear of fury. Electricity gathered around it, humming for a final blow.

"Stop this!" the stranger yelled suddenly.

With a precise burst of light and darkness, the cannons on the robot suddenly exploded in a cloud of sparks and metal. The robot jerked slightly and skittered in a spasm, burrowing into the ground. With a sick crunch, it bounced off the ground, body shattered apart. It looked up, flickering red eyes emotionless, turning slightly back toits four targets.

"Weapons...disabled...maneuvering systems...disabled...objective:eliminate alltargets...failed..."

Sullen eyes looked up at the dull skies, darkmulti-colored clouds smoking around in circles, its glass eyes reflecting the several colors of the sky.

"Don't...want...to..."

The glow of the Andron's eyes faded and went dark.

"We must head back," the stranger said suddenly. "This is more important than I thought."

"And I hurt," Keven complained. "All over."

As the group trudged back, supporting the injured man, Mizuti glanced back with wondering grey eyes at the motionless body of the Andron, silent and lifeless like a grave. Its dark grey eyes seemed to reflect pure darkness, emotionless forever. It seemed to glance back at her with its haunting, empty eyes.

She glanced away from it, a soft shudder rushing through her body.

-----

And schmo, chapter two ends. It's shorter than I would have liked it to be, but bah, it's a chapter. I don't own Baten Kaitos, but I own this fanfic.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three:

A/N: At one point in this chapter, grammar/punctuation is SO badly mauled and torn and mangled in this that I would advise you to stay away if you're squeamish about English language. If not, enjoy the show.

(_do you remember when the sun went out_)

With a faint frown, Mizuti flipped over another card.

A city in flames. The blackened skeletons of skyscrapers silhouetted against a raging sky of fire. Something about the flames seemed malevolent, sinister. In the middle of the grisly tableau was a tall, masked man grasping a lumpy, grimy sack, one hand wrapped in a bandage. He stared out at the viewer in an almost sinister way.

_Ballad of an Earth Child._

She hated that card. She absolutely loathed it, and avoided using it. She was loath to even look at it, and always exchanged it for a different card whenever it came up. She treated it like a fetid, rotting carcass. She never did understand why.

(_the sun went out the world was dark the sun went out_)

---

Mizuti walked the early-morning grounds of Gemma alone, not many people wandering this early in the morning. She wasn't fully awake, however, and she certainly wasn't in a good mood.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Hey, Mizuti. I think one of your friends is over there. Maybe you should have a look at them."

Oh, now what? Did Keven get drunk? Did Mechizedik blow up something on accident? Or something else that was even worse? She didn't want to have anything to do with this, or anything this early for that matter. Although she wasn't sure what to expect, she stormed off to the direction the bystander pointed out, a furious scowl etched on her face.

She suddenly received a jolt of shock when she saw the person before her. Several other people were gathered around the person, whispering in soft conversations to each other, glancing at the person every once in a while. Evidently, everyone was mystified as to who—or what—this person was.

Without their torn cloak, the person Mizuti had met just the day before seemed a bit less imposing. They wore simple black clothing, although they still wore the dark grey mask. Impassive white eyes glanced around the audience, meeting each person's expressions. Pale grey haired fell out from behind the mask, slightly jutting up, but just barely. They were bent over slightly, crossing their gloved hands in a fluid motion.

They spoke, in the deep, distorted voice Mizuti had heard before when she met this odd person. Despite the faint crackling, it was still understandable enough to the audience.

"Greetings. I have not introduced myself to anybody in this village, so allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Bonedancer."

Pure white eyes swept over the witnesses once again, in an unsettling way.

"I see you are all staring at me. You all seem shocked, although I do not blame you. I am not like most Children of the Earth, the people of Duhr. Nor am I like that of those from the Sky. I do not have wings, nor do I have great prowess in the arts of magic."

Their figure was lean and sinewy, not muscle-bound like the cloak seemed to impose. A small belt was wrapped around their waist, and a pack of Magnus glinted in the early pink sunshine, and Mizuti knew they were mostly made up of pens. She remembered the long, thick claws of the guardian Breachers of Zosma, the echanted two-headed hounds with their long, thick fangs, able to slice into their prey without a second thought, slicing into the soft flesh of their prey—

She snapped out of her morbid thoughts as she turned her attention to the odd person, Bonedancer, as they began speaking once again.

"I appreciate your ways of magic better than those fool's fighting ways of the skies. Most of the people of the sky merely lift up a sword and call themselves professional monster-slayers, and most of them get killed in a day or so. It is not all about brute power. It is not about how far we can throw the foe."

Bonedancer tapped their head. "What truly matters is what lies within. Strategy. Technique. Knowledge. Skill. Endurance. Strength."

"But you just said strength didn't matter!" someone blurted out. The boy looked down as Bonedancer's head swiveled around to gaze at him.

"You are right, but you are also wrong," Bonedancer answered calmly. The boy blinked, puzzled.

"Strength matters, but it is not the sole element of battle. You need strength of the mind, strength of the body, strength of your will. You must attain a balance of all the elements of victory. Be fast. Be strong. Be clever. Know your foe. Know yourself."

Bonedancer moved suddenly, in a rapid blur of movement that elicited a gasp from the class. In one fluid movement, Bonedancer hefted up a small boulder with two hands and lifted it into the air.

"Do you see this? I was quick, and I was strong. But! Suppose this desk was a Doomer! Do you know why it would be disastrous to pick such a monster up? Can anyone answer that?"

Mizuti's fear of the tall, lean person and her early-morning crankiness was overridden by her sudden rush of experience, and her arm shot up. Bonedancer turned to Mizuti, and she flinched slightly.

"You need not raise your hand. Simply blurt it out."

"Um, well, uh, it's not a good move, because these monsters tend to know how to explode, and it'd, uh, deal devastating damage to you," Mizuti stammered, instantly regretting having spoken.

Bonedancer dropped the desk, and the witnesses gasped, recoiling in horror. However, their arms quickly snaked down, and stopped the desk within an inch above their feet. As they gently set it upon the floor, the audience released a collective sigh of relief.

"You are correct," Bonedancer replied. "That is why knowledge matters. However, this is also where strategy matters. If you can use some defenses of the opposite element of the attacker, this would negate any damage inflicted upon you. This would result in only the exploder itself getting destroyed by the explosion. Do you see now?"

Bonedancer nodded and tapped their head again. "Battle is not all brute force and flying weapons. There is also strategy involved, and you have one thing most monsters don't have—intelligence." With that, Bonedancer's speech ended, and they turned away from the crowd.

As everyone filed out of the square and dispersed in their own separate ways, they all excitedly talked back and forth in loud voices. Everyone was awed by this sort of being, and Mizuti had to admit she was also kind of impressed by the gentle, quiet power of Bonedancer. Excited chatter rose up on all sides.

"—did you _see_ how—"

"—lifted it up like it was nothing—"

"—and caught it so _fast_ it was unbelievable—"

As the crowd slowly drifted away, Mizuti found herself alone with Bonedancer, who was draping themselves into their cloak again, lifting their hood over their head.

"You are still here, Mizuti?" Bonedancer said suddenly, snapping Mizuti's head up.

"Uh, yeah."

"Is there anything you wish to ask me?"

Mizuti bit her lip. Well, she had wondered about this Affiliation…if Bonedancer came from there, then perhaps they knew more about it?

"I was wondering…what is the Affiliation?"

Bonedancer tightened the cloak around their shoulders, shrugging slightly, testing the cloak's tightness. "You will learn more in due time. I am remaining here for a short time, so you have time for questions as time goes on. Many things are going to happen soon, Mizuti, and it should be wise to rest until then. Something is going to happen, and something is going to occur. You and your friends are going to get caught in between."

"What? How do you know this?"

Bonedancer shrugged. "Can't you see it? There is trouble occurring in the sky…"

"Like I don't know that," Mizuti grumbled.

"More problems than you imagine. Your journey will begin soon…"

"How do you know? And what's going to happen?" Mizuti insisted.

"There are many things planned, Mizuti," Bonedancer replied, walking off. "Many things."

---

Probably the oddest place in Duhr was Cappella's inner sanctum. Deep inside the Garden of Death, there was a small sanctuary that nobody ever traveled to anymore. A silver and gold temple sat in the middle of lush green land, the only sign of life inside of the dark abyss. The dead walked through the dark muddy waters, crawling through oozing, slimy mud, flesh and dark blood trailing into the waters. The shrine within was surrounded by a large barrier of fresh, cool water, untainted by the dark mud.

It was a good while before Mizuti stopped walking and dropped to the ground, leaning back against the cool, comforting trunk of a tree. Her head ached savagely as she fell against the tree with a sigh.

The inner sanctum of Cappella was one of the lush, most beautiful areas of Duhr. It shielded its interior away from the outside world, shielding away a dazzling, enchanting intertwined shield of lush green leaves and rosy pink petals interlocked by spindly branches. Large acres of mud, blood and tainted water stretched out, drowning several travelers, but if one knew how to travel over rotting logs, they could walk there in minutes. Dead trees speared the skies, surrounding the sanctuary with a wall of darkness. Sunlight gently filtered through the rosy foliage, casting dappled light playing across the carpet of blossoms littering the grass. It gave the inner, living area a sort of ethereal quality.

She sat in silence as the dappled patterns of light and shadow shifted fluidly across her face. Her eyes hurt, and she didn't really understand why. Perhaps it was because she was tired…quickly, she attempted to blink back her tears. It was such a childish thing to do, to cry, but she couldn't help it.She rubbed at her eyes, stinging with pain. The ache slowly ebbed away, and her hand fell to the petal-strewn grass.

Mizuti shivered uneasily, although there was no chill in the air. It was a warm morning, save for the forbidding grey clouds choking the sky of its color. Austere, grey, stormy—the very color of her own eyes. She hated it. She hated how there was no sun.

(_the sun went out_)

A tiny, barely noticeable chill reached down her back again. She felt something heavy in her chest, something heavy, like a chain's

_rattle_

Mizuti's other hand flew to her chest as her breathing became labored, ragged. _"Gah-"_

An overpowering wave of nausea slammed into Mizuti and she retched, gagging, but only sour bile came up.

(_the sun's out the sun's out the sun's out_)

Her mind spiraled down into oblivion, a tiny point of light slipping into an abyss of shadows and chaos. The voice grew more clearer and louder…a dark howl within the ghastly dream that engulfed her in blackness.

(_Mizuti! Mizuti…Mizutii…miizuttii…_)

Her eyes shot open, as she panted, gasping for breath. Her eyes darted around, searching for any sort of difference that was in this realm. Surprisingly, there was none. She was in her world, her time, her place. Everything was normal. The skies were grey, the trees were green, the water was flowing. All was calm. All was well.

She sighed, leaning back against the tree with a groan. Wind caressed her hair and released it, blowing it gently. The wind rattled against the door of the temple, rattling it slightly. Mizuti got up, shivering in the cold wind. She decided that if she were to get any rest, it should probably be indoors. She grasped the doorknob, twisting it aside as the door creaked open.

She stepped onto floors, unrotting despite having been settled there for hundreds of years. Dust gathered on the floor, giving the dark wood a grey layer. Stained-glass windows stared down at her. Several odd statues of ancient beasts stood guard in the temple, dust gathered on their carefully carved features. Several low stairs brought up to the center of the temple, light shining down around an altar in the center. There was a small indentation in the altar, as if something had been placed in there for centuries, suddenly removed.

A cold, strange wind shuddered through the room, and she shuddered, brushing hair out of her eyes. She turned around, and shut the door.

"That's funny…I though I shut the door…" she murmured to herself.

"Are you lost?"

The faint rasp shot Mizuti out of her thoughts, as she spun around to the altar. A person stood there, although it definitely didn't seem very normal. It sat on top of the altar, their head hidden by a dark black hood and bowed down; their gloved hands folded and legs crossed at the ankles.

"What are you doing here?" she asked suddenly, after a long moment of awkward silence.

"I often come to sit here," the person rasped, as if it were painful to speak. The figure still did not look at her. The head was still bowed, the gloved hands were still folded, and their feet, shod in black boots, were still crossed. "I watch time pass and the world crumble."

"What do you mean?" Mizuti said, taking a step forward. Something in the voice made her a bit frightened, and her voice held more bravery than what she really felt.

The person laughed; a hollow, mirthless laugh without emotion and as cold as the wind. "The world is crumbling, with or without human aid. Time flies…time dies…"

Mizuti took another, slow step forward, trembling involuntarily. The voice sounded oddly familiar, although she had _never heard the voice in her life, ever_.

"I am the scapegoat of humanity. I am the incorporation of all things forbidden and yet executed hourly. I am the scum and the darkness which makes everyone shudder, and yet I fester in their souls. I was shaped by all of you, and condemned to be hated."

"Who are you?" Mizuti asked, voice trembling.

Slowly, very slowly, the head began to turn towards her. A slender gloved hand rose and gently curled around the edge of its hood, pulling it back. A pale, scarred face was seen, dark golden eyes tinged with blood, dark marks under their eyes. Black hair was brushed back behind its head, without any bangs. Tattered bandages, tainted with dark blood, were wrapped around its lower half of its face, covering its mouth. Its skin was a pale grey, almost white but not exactly.

"Mizuti…you perfectly know who I am," the voice rasped, head tilted to the side. Hair swayed to the side, dried blood tinged on the ends of the hairs.

"No, I don't," Mizuti whispered firmly.

"You don't recognize me? We've met oh so many times…we've seen each other everywhere…in fact, I think I know about you than you know about yourself…"

"I don't know you," she said softly. "I don't know you!"

"You don't know me? Then how about this hint…do you remember when…the sun went out?"

_rattle_

With that final phrase, something seemed to writhe inside of her, something heavy rattling inside of her, quickly settling.

Tiny shards of glass from the windows glittered on the dusty floor, reflecting her face over and over like color-stained mirrors. She looked up at the person, gazing into their grim, golden eyes.

"The sun went out…" the person hissed.

Something howled, the walls shattering, bright glass glittering through the air, like newborn white feathers fluttering through the air. Something crashed down from the domed roof, splitting them apart like heaven's lightning. Mizuti gazed up, and in all of its glory, she saw Malpercio standing behind the person, the tainted white wings upon its head glittering with a pale light, casting it's body in an unholy light.

The person still sat on the altar, not even giving a glance to the god. "It's come."

Malpercio gazed at her, its empty eyes watching her carefully, cracks resonating from behind it and all around it. Dust and glass and feathers flew around the three, the world shattering apart.

(MIZUTI MIZUTI MIZUTI) the roaring words howled in her mind, searing in their brilliance. (HOW I WOULD LOVE FOR LOVE FOR MIZUTI IF YOU IF YOU IF YOU ARE PURE FOR ME IF YOU ARE CLEAN FOR ME IF YOU ARE IF YOU ARE DEAD FOR ME DEAD YOU ARE DEAD FOR ME DEAD)

The feathers swooped and whirled like a dervish in her mind, slashing and searing.

(THEY ARE DEAD WITH THE REST OF THEM THEY ARE WITH THE REST OF THEM MIZUTI MIZUTI MIZUTI THE SUN WENT OUT MIZUTI IS DEAD WITH THEM MIZUTI IS DEAD WITH THEM UNLESS UNLESS UNLESS)

The walls of the temple roared and blasted apart, the entire world shattering into instant nothingness, the only things remaining were the three beings, the altar, and the floor they were standing on.

(IT HURTS IT HURTS MY WINGS HURT MY WINGS ARE BURNING THEYRE SHATTERING THEYRE BURNING THEYRE BURNING LIKE THE WORLD THE WORLD SOON THE WORLD IS DEAD WHEN THE SUN WENT OUT DISTORTED WITH WINGS DISTORTED WINGS MIZUTI MIZUTI MIZUTI AND WE WE WE I I I YOU YOU YOU WE WE WE ARE WE ARE WE ARE)

The words began to scream across the nothingness, incomprehensibly.

(MIZUTI MIZUTI YOU UNDERSTAND YOU UNDERSTAND YOU DIDNT BIND ME YOU DIDNT KILL ME YOU HELPED ME YOU HELPED ME THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU YOURE WITH THEM DEAD DEAD LIKE THE REST OF THEM HELP HELP ME ME ME WE WE WE CAN BRING ON CHAOS LIKE THE GODS THE WAR OF THE GODS BLOOD AND BLOOD AND THE AEON OF CHAOS RUNNING UPON THE SHATTERED IMPRESSIONS IMPRESSIONS OF SWIFTLY TILTING PLANETS WERE BOUND WERE BOUND WERE BOUND)

Mizuti clutched her head, the voice beginning to scrape at her mind, as if devouring it whole.

(MIZUTI MIZUTI YOU ARE YOU ARE YOU ARE BOUND TO ME BOUND BROKEN TWISTED SEARCHING WONDERING BURNING FREEZING CRYING FIGHTING RIPPED FADING LOST BLOODY ALONE DYING REACHING WRITHING PASSING SIGHING BOUND BROKEN TWISTED SEARCHING WONDERING BURNING FREEZING CRYING FIGHTING RIPPED FADING LOST BLOODY ALONE DYING REACHING WRITHING PASSING SIGHING BOUND BROKEN…)

As the words repeated themselves into oblivion, the person seated on the altar stared at Mizuti, shaking his head. "Mizuti…you don't know what I've done for you…"

She could only listen to the words, rooted to the spot, the world slowly waning away like it had never been, a faint, pleasant scent wafting through the broken windows, light slowly stabbing inside the world in jagged shards, slowly washing away everything. Her mind was strangely blank. An odd numbness was coming over her body, and she suddenly felt cold. Terribly cold, but she could do nothing about it. She couldn't even move, only think jumbled thoughts, until finally, she surrendered, the odd chant of words echoing through her head.

(_bound broken twisted searching wondering burning freezing crying fighting ripped fading lost bloody alone dying reaching writhing passing sighing…_)

(_falling…falling…falling…_)

A/N: Moo. Another short chapter. Hey, at least we get to get started next chapter. DEATHREAPERDOESN'TOWNBATENKAITOS.


End file.
